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Press, 2000. Additional bibliography may be found at: Essene and Gnostic Studies; Studies in Animal Ethics.
Submitted by Audrey Haschemeyer, Ph.D. Discussion Syllabus
Questions: 1. How do you understand the concepts in Quote I? Can these ideas be reconciled with our lives today? 2. What are some ways to understand "prayer rightly offered" in Quote II? What about "perfection of way?" 3. Quote III indicates an active return of good to someone who has caused hurt or injury ("evil" includes any affliction, adversity, etc). How would this apply to 9-11 or any other example you can think of? [Note that the "I" is a free agent, able to "pursue" with goodness or take other action].
Questions: 1. In Quotation I how would you understand speaking "with two tongues" compared with having a "single disposition?" What would be some examples? 2. How does the saying of Jesus in Quotation II about "outreach" to those outside one's inner circle relate to the Essene "single disposition?" Does the honesty and genuineness there seem like a good starting point? 3. In Quotation III Jesus puts the emphasis on serving, as opposed to overpowering others. Do you see a connection to the simplicity of life and absence of pretense of the person in Quotation I? Can one serve and still hold a decision-making position?
Questions: 1. Quotation I brings up "envy" or wanting what is not yours as a preamble for overpowering others (violence). What are some of the "riches" humans obtain by violence, including that against the environment? In what ways do you feel you participate, and how can you change that? 2. Conflicts in "this one house" (Quotation II) might be between thinking and feeling, spirit and will, "male" and "female." What "two" within you need to find balance or peace? How does imbalance within relate to violence in the world outside? 3. The Judaeo-Christian Ebionites (Quotation III) rejected the mentality of sacrifice (as well as all animal killing) and the ideas of sin, guilt and blaming on which it is based, in favor of a living "perfection of way" (see Meeting 1, Quotations from the Dead Sea Scrolls). Does the "gospel of nonviolence" suggest ways to restore balance for both individuals and communities?
Questions: 1. Quotation I from the early Judaeo-Christian Gospel of Thomas speaks of a seeking process that comes from the inside instead of an image of being outside trying to get in. Does this change your perspective on what you want to "find" in your life? 2. In Quotation II openness (as opposed to secrecy and intrigue) and spontaneity (letting one's own "light" shine freely) brings benefit to both "inside" and "outside" What are some examples in your experience? (cf., Essene precepts in the quotations of Meetings 1 and 2, e.g., the "good mind...that says the same thing to everyone"). 3. A passionate cultivation of one's own life (Quotation III), bearing in mind the previous teachings, is the secret here to the experience of "Heaven." Another passage tells us not to turn the "realm" in us into a "desert." In what ways are you "reaping your ear of life," and what needs to be improved? (cf., Meetings 3 and 4 discussion).
Questions: 1. Quotation I compares a life of substance (self-understanding, "God's Realm") with one lived in a vacuum, presumably behind a facade. What kinds of "emptiness" do you think are present in today's ravenous consumer society, for example, and elsewhere in our lives? 2. In Quotation II Jesus addresses the pretense of well-meaning activities that do not come from the heart but are directed by others. What are some ways that we lie to ourselves as we look to authority or tradition to know what to do, or when we simply "go with the flow?" 3. Quotation III directs our attention away from linear time and toward a timeless dimension of meaning or intent for our lives and Creation. Can you imagine a "beginning" that makes sense to you? What might the Divine Source want for us and all beings right now?
Questions: 1. In Quotation I Jesus says that the discovery of the divine presence within, one's true self, is entirely possible for those who search for it. Has our course on the "lost religion of Jesus" suggested some practical ways to search for an authentic life in the midst of deceptions? 2. The "rule" or guidance provided by Jesus (Quotation II) can be summed up as love and freedom, based on other texts. What kinds of laws lead to domination? What about laws that provide for equal access or equal enjoyment (e.g., traffic regulations)? 3. In Quotation III Mary returns to the concept of "true humanity" in the face of real emotions and indecision (literally, divided heart). Does Mary's Gospel with its quiet wisdom and gentleness help you to get a feeling for God the Mother and Daughter in addition to God the Father and Son?